There is a tone of voice of every respectful employer or company owner to provide their leaving employees with reference letters.
There are tons of reasons to give people good feedback. That is how to treat your workers well, reveal your gratitude, and wish them luck in their endeavors.
In addition, you highlight their strength.
Yet, if you suggest areas for improvement, you may tell the truth. If you do it properly and pleasantly, people will meet positively.
Besides, your current personnel will respect you knowing that you will write the letter for them when they need it.
We collected the rules and tips for completing a correct and impactful reference letter.
You will learn the steps and perform the job efficiently. Let’s start!
What is a Reference Letter
First things first, a reference letter is a review of a person’s qualifications from a previous company.
It influences the attitude of HR and prospects in the new working place.
The reference letter indicates the qualities that will be important in the new company.
It is a huge plus to note diverse job-related personal achievements and support them with actual cases.
In Europe and the USA, recommendations are widespread in business branches.
HRs and company owners rely on the opinion of competent people on a job seeker who sits in front of them. It is so because they see confirmed hard and soft skills and working experience.
Often, the availability of a reference letter raises the chances of obtaining a better position.
Tips for Structuring a Reference Letter
Regarding the letter structure, it does not have a strict order.
But, as with every general letter, it should be clear for a reader who writes it and its purpose.
Of course, you can change some points, yet here are some obligatory parts.
1. Greeting
Start with a polite salutation.
It will be the first impression of you, the candidate, and your company.
It would help if you spoke in equal positions.
Your goal is to establish a friendly relationship with the recipient before describing the job seeker.
Always address your message to a specific person as much as possible. You may develop your style and spread it from letter to letter.
2. Introduction
Then, reveal the point.
The recipient will warmly meet the letter if you describe the applicant’s frank recommendation.
It will hint to the recipient about the different tones for the whole letter.
3. List of Advantages
Give the list of the pros of hiring that candidate in the next paragraph.
Indicate the strength, skills, and communication peculiarities.
The new employer will love to know if the person is a team player, persistent, etc.
Whether you have to say about some unique skills or characteristics, show the extraordinary way one applies them.
4. Cases
As an employer, professor, or manager, you may represent thousands of cases when the job seeker did the job perfectly.
However, you can not set it in general.
Better choose a specific example to show HR how your employer achieved the goal.
Describe how their particular character traits helped with that purpose.
5. Conclusion
Give a concluding statement about the person. You may add the encouragement to hire this excellent candidate.
Avoid repeating the phrases from the introduction. Use some more powerful words, instead.
6. Contacts
Do not forget to write contact information. Sometimes a new employer wants to ask some additional questions. Thus, you may assist with answering or confirming some points.
What to Add to Reference Letter
Indicate relationship
It will be advantageous if you devote a few words about your attitude to the applying candidate.
You will base the entire letter on these premises.
People would like to get acquainted with you and the applicant.
Nothing works better than speaking out from the bottom of one’s heart. So, do not skip this part.
Demonstrate the Candidate
Be generous, revealing the experience, skills, and strength of people.
Then, boast to them, showing your company’s success to have such outstanding personnel. Prove this with examples and cases.
Motivate the Employer
It is excellent when you say a few words to picture the HR or another company owner and how it will be great to gain such a professional in a team.
Encourage them to make the next move and to hire the person.
Usually, when this point is absent, the letter leaves the feeling of incompleteness. Do not do that!
Pro tips for writing
This section is about your stress relief. Here we give you the steps to follow to complete the most remarkable reference letter.
Start the letter with your desirable conclusion
Always have a clear idea of what you are going to conclude.
Before you start writing a letter, ask yourself again what exactly you want from the recipient?
In this case, uncertainty is your sworn enemy. The clearer your goal, the more persuasive your letter will be.
Write the plain text
Start with creating the first draft. First, double-check what points you have already described and what information is missing. Then, please, use the guidelines mentioned above.
Look for additional information
If you need some time to find details, do that. It refers to the proof of your words.
Your recipient would adore receiving the letter with accurate information and without water. It may be essential in the result.
Divide the text into digestible paragraphs
To make the arguments supporting your idea easy to read and understand, divide them into several paragraphs.
Make a break
When the draft is over, ensure you added all the points.
Then, take a break.
It would help if you had it to refresh your perception.
It will be a mistake to check grammar and send the letter at that stage.
Instead, deal with other duties, and return to the reference letter later.
Thus, you will see what you have written and what aspects need improvement or removal.
Note: There may be a considerable difference between what you think you have documented and what you have written. Do not neglect this step to double-check the text later.
We wish you luck in your business and the successful reference letter-writing! 🙂
